Like a lot of people raised on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Jackie Hardin is a fancier of oysters.
Growing up in Kent County, she became fond of oyster stew, steamed oysters and fried oysters.
So when she heard about a cooking contest in Leonardtown that awarded prizes for dishes featuring the bivalve, she gave it a try.
Her idea was to put fried oysters in a flour tortilla, nestle in some cole slaw and add dollops of chipotle mayonnaise.
It is an idea she picked up from watching food shows on television.
"They cook a lot of fish tacos, especially out West," Hardin told me. "So I just made the transition from fish tacos to oysters."
Her dish ended up winning that contest in Leonardtown, officially known as the National Oyster Cook-Off, held recently on the rain-soaked grounds of the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds. Garnering both the grand prize and the top spot for main dishes, Hardin picked up a check for $1,300 and a silver tray.
Speaking by phone from her Kent County home a few days after the contest, Hardin said she was still somewhat overwhelmed by her victory.
"As I was cooking, I saw these oyster sliders with sweet sauce, and a baked oyster and butternut squash casserole," she said, referring to other entries in the competition. "And I had a taco with cabbage and chipotle mayonnaise." She didn't think her dish would win.
"But it is quick and easy, something you can make in 10 to 15 minutes, when you come home at night."
A key, she said, is to cook the oysters quickly in hot oil.
"You get them in and get them out," Hardin said. "You want them tender and plump, but not hard."
As for the oil, Hardin said she melts Crisco, "out of the can."
A self-taught cook, Hardin, 63, said she began cooking at the age of 13. She had planned to try out her oyster recipe on some of her three children and 13 grandchildren. But when one of her grandsons had to go to the hospital because of a mountain biking mishap, she ended up baby-sitting for the boy's siblings and her plans for a big recipe-testing get-together went awry.
She did feed it to her husband, Michael, who gave her thumbs up.
Hardin and her husband are gourd artists, painting and decorating many of the gourds they grow on their farm. Their business in Galena is called Barefoot Gourds.
As part of her preparation for the cooking contest, Hardin abstained for a week from painting the gourds.
